PUDONG New Area is famous for its skyscrapers, but there’s another, historic Pudong that includes residences of famous scholars, historic enterprises and the old port.

Six historic buildings in Pudong were recently designated as cultural heritage sites by the Shanghai Administration of Cultural Heritage. They cover the district, from villages to towns to downtown areas.

For many years, these buildings were ignored but the district government is now repairing and renovating them to showcase history and culture and commemorate important figures who contributed to China’s development.

“Old buildings are like living fossils that witness the changes and development of the country and give us a glimpse of it was like in the past. They also represent splendid art, culture and intelligence,” says one Pudong official, declining to be quoted by name.

Shanghai Daily visits a few historic sites.

Memorial hall of Wu Changshuo

Amid the high-rises of Lujiazui, this 1,600-square-meter structure of gray and red brick used to be the residence of wealthy merchant Chen Guichun.

Known as Yinchun Villa, it was completed in 1922 and combines Western and Chinese architecture and decor. The roof is covered by traditional-style Chinese tiles, while the ornamental molding below is Western.

Inside, all the wooden beams, windows and doors bear elaborate carvings featuring traditional birds, flowers and other elements.

Today the building is the memorial hall of Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), a prominent painter, calligrapher and seal carver.

Most visitors focus on the collection of Wu’s works, but the architecture itself is fascinating. Carvings on the beams tell the story of the classic novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

Hours: Daily, 10am-4pm

Address: 15 Lujiazui Rd E., Pudong

Admission: 10 yuan

Residence of Zhang Wentian

Zhang Wentian (1900-76) was general secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1935-43 and made important contributions to political life and the economy. He was China’s ambassador to the Soviet Union and was purged during the “cultural revolution” (1966-76). He was later rehabilitated.

The rural brick residence was built in 1892 in style popular south of the Yangtze River. It’s unsophisticated and contains two rooms facing south. The old well remains in the courtyard.

The house is near a bamboo forest and stream and is surrounded by fence. There’s a vegetable garden in the front yard.

The building is also a place for patriotic education.

“Every year, many young people stand in the yard in front of the residence and vow to become Youth League and CPC members,” says Chen Zhongwei, director of Zhang Wentian’s old residence.

Zhang was born in Nanhui County, formerly in Jiangsu Province. He lived in the building during his teens.

Hours: Daily, 8:30-11:30am, 1-4pm

Address: 50 Wenju Rd, Chuansha Town, Pudong

Admission: Free

Minsheng Port

Two giant grain silo complexes jut 50 meters into the sky at this century-old Huangpu River port.

One silo, with a capacity of 80,000 tons, used to be the largest grain silo in Asia and once stored grain for Shanghai.

It’s near a bamboo forest.

Minsheng Port still contains several red brick Victorian warehouses with Art Deco iron doors, first built by the British from 1907 to 1925. Most of the historic warehouses were demolished and replaced by new ones years ago, but the remaining structures are well preserved.

The complex, covering 100,000 square meters, is rugged with a bit of industrial chic, softened by time and the riverside scenery in the background.

Plans call for the port to be renovated into a cultural hub, catering to many interests, including art, music, theater, cinema and dining. Artists’ studios and workshops will be opened there.

During the reign of the Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the British shipping Blue Funnel Line purchased the predecessor of Minsheng Port.

In the 1920s, the port was acclaimed as the most advanced in East Asia.

“We have been pondering this development project since 2005, when the silos were closed,” says Li Baoqi, general manager of the Huangpu River Group Minsheng Branch.

Yiyuan Garden

This is a reproduction of Aili Garden completed in 1909 by businessman Silas Aaron Hardoon (1851-1931). He named it Aili Garden in honor of his wife, Lisa. Aili was supposed to mean “Aaron loves Lisa.”

It was once the city’s largest and grandest private garden with more than 60 scenic spots. It was built along downtown Nanjing Road W.

Hardoon’s butler Chen Wenfu reproduced the garden in his hometown in Mianqing, Pudong, and named it Yiyuan Garden.

The downtown garden is gone and much of this garden was destroyed. Still, charming areas remain on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital.

It retains a labyrinth of courtyards and contains rockeries, brooks, ponds and pavilions.

The garden is not open to the public.

Address: 2607 Chuanzhou Rd